Instructor Sylvia arrived first, moving with incredible speed that left afterimages. Her eyes took in the scene instantly - the dying assistant convulsing on the ground, my blade drawn and bloody, the obvious signs of recent combat.
"Adrian! What happened?!"
"He attacked me, freed the Hidebehind we'd captured and tried to kill me. When I subdued him, he bit a suicide pill."
More arrived, three additional Transcendent-rank assistants all looking shocked at finding one of their colleagues dying on the ground.
Sylvia immediately knelt beside the corrupted assistant, checking his vitals. Her expression grew grim as she confirmed what I already knew.
"He's dead. The poison is high-grade, designed for this exact purpose - fast-acting, no antidote, ensures no possibility of interrogation."
She looked up at me with an expression mixing shock, concern, and calculation.
